AKINWUNMI ADESINA CALLS ON AFRICAN GOVTS, TELLS THEM TO PREPARE FOR GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS

The President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwumi Adesina has called on African governments to prepare for a global food crisis.

Adesina made the comment while speaking about Africa’s priorities as a guest at the Atlantic Council’s Africa Centre on Friday.

In a statement published by the development finance institution, Adesina was quoted to have said “The African Development Bank is already active in mitigating the effects of a food crisis through the African Food Crisis Response and Emergency Facility – a dedicated facility being considered by the Bank to provide African countries with the resources needed to raise local food production and procure fertilizer.”

The AfDB President said his basic principle is that Africa should not be begging.

“We must solve our own challenges ourselves without depending on others”, he said.

He explained that the Russian-Ukraine war’s ramifications spread far beyond Ukraine to other parts of the world, including Africa, adding that Russia and Ukraine supply 30% of global wheat exports, the price of which has surged by almost 50% globally, reaching identical levels as during the 2008 global food crisis.